Woman dies after being stabbed by beach umbrella while celebrating her birthday at Virginia Beach

She was at the beach celebrating her birthday and wedding anniversary

Lottie Belk/Facebook

A visit to the beach turned deadly when a 55-year-old woman was stabbed by an umbrella caught by heavy winds.

The beach umbrella broke away from its anchor in the Virginia Beach sand on Wednesday, striking Lottie Michelle Belk, who died at the hospital, the Virginian-Pilot reports.

“It was pretty windy down here,” eyewitness Hugh Martin told local CBS affiliate WTVR. “Saw the umbrella go up in the air, and literally hit the woman, knocking her to the side.”

Ms Belk was at the beach celebrating her birthday and wedding anniversary, according to her eldest daughter, Ashley Denton. She is survived by her two daughters, stepdaughter, stepson, and her husband.

She was described to 911 dispatchers as being in cardiac arrest - which emergency responders said resulted from a “life-threatening” injury.

Ms Belk, who had worked in mental health professions for years, her daughter says, had just earned her master’s degree in business.

Virginia Beach police reportedly dispatch homicide investigators to the scene, but found no evidence of foul play.